Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubuque, IA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubuque, IA: $1,731 a month against $1,924 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in San Jose despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Dubuque, IA
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Dubuque, IA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Dubuque, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,731

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubuque, IA and in San Jose

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dubuque, IA and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,731 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $1,731
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $2,538 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $2,538
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $3,345 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $3,345
San Jose $3,929

Dubuque, IA is about 10% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dubuque, IA and San Jose sit above the global median – Dubuque, IA by 28%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 $13.85

$12.29 ₡5,513

12.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.71 $49.71

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-20.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$11.53 ₡5,171

2.34%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$4.35 ₡1,953

14.71%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.64 ₡1,183

-23.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.86 ₡836

-48.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.32 ₡1,490

-9.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 $4.53

$4.52 ₡2,026

0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$2.39 ₡1,073

-67.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$3.08 ₡1,381

-12.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.50 ₡1,119

12.80%

Eggs

$2.85 $2.85

$3.48 ₡1,562

-18.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 $14.05

$10.74 ₡4,815

30.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$10.32 ₡4,629

0.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$14.10 ₡6,325

-24.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$5.03 ₡2,256

-34.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.59 ₡714

-23.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$4.84 ₡2,171

-32.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$3.96 ₡1,776

-38.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$3.76 ₡1,684

-63.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$3.73 ₡1,674

-55.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.08 ₡485

124.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$3.25 ₡1,456

-44.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.70 $8.70

$5.86 ₡2,627

48.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 $13.36

$20.28 ₡9,095

-34.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.73 ₡1,673

-24.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.58 ₡709

-42.41%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.5K $24.5K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-26.99%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.0K $25.0K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-39.93%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$176 $176

$93.7 ₡42.0K

88.20%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$52.0 $52.0

$35.42 ₡15.9K

46.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$60.0 ₡26.9K

-15.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.87 $36.87

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-49.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 $8.17

$7.74 ₡3,471

5.56%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$812 $812

$1,005 ₡450.9K

-19.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-23.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 $35.65

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-35.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 $86.1

$128 ₡57.5K

-32.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 $88.7

$130 ₡58.5K

-31.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 $985

$932 ₡418.0K

5.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 $725

$760 ₡340.8K

-4.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

$1,922 ₡862.0K

-23.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 $1,201

$1,276 ₡572.1K

-5.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,732 $1,732

$2,301 ₡1.0M

-24.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,707 $1,707

$1,833 ₡821.9K

-6.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,768 $3,768

$1,029 ₡461.3K

266.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

8.62

-39.10%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Dubuque, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Dubuque, IA

$725 41.9%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 4.9% $35

Groceries & Markets

Dubuque, IA

$312 18%

San Jose

$403 21% 29.2% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubuque, IA

$279 16.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 32.2% $90

Eating Out

Dubuque, IA

$242 14%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 5.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Dubuque, IA

$120 6.9%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 45.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Dubuque, IA

$53 3.1%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 65.5% $35

Getting Around

Dubuque, IA

- * 0%

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Dubuque, IA versus $932 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 266% higher in Dubuque, IA, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Dubuque, IA versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $403 – making Dubuque, IA the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dubuque, IA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

21:54 9:54 PM

1 h behind Dubuque, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,667

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubuque, IA San Jose 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubuque, IA
San Jose

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Dubuque, IA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose costs about 11% more than Dubuque, IA, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,596 per month in Dubuque, IA and $2,886 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dubuque, IA, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,731 in Dubuque, IA and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 11%.

Kindergarten costs $812 per month in Dubuque, IA and $1,005 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Dubuque, IA, where all-in costs run around $1,731, than in San Jose at $1,924. In Dubuque, IA it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dubuque, IA costs $1,731 versus $1,924 in San Jose. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dubuque, IA. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.